July 20, 2008

Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Native Texan and Armadillo Expert, Zoey Louise, informs Champion grandparents that the nine-banded armadillo is not a Native Texan.Â It is from South America and first entered Texas in about 1849.Â By the mid 1970’s it had immigrated all the way to Southern Missouri.Â It is considered to be a nuisance, certainly, as it burrows for grubs and insects in lawns and gardens.Â The young lady is shown here pointing out what she calls a “Good Armadillo.”Â Â

The Department of Conservation, however, says that they should not be wantonly killed but that shooting is a precise and effective way to control them.Â The one shown here was killed by a vehicle on the road and after the passage of several vehicles and several weeks it was rendered odorless and altogether flat.Â This one likely has three siblings roaming the area, as armadillos typically raise identical quadruplets.Â They have one litter per year which Zoey Louise believes to be one litter too many.Â In the 1950’s and 1960’s it was popular to make handbags out of the whole critter.Â They can still be found in flea markets occasionally.Â It is not impossible that this could be a recurring fad.Â According to one of the expert’s grandparents who once killed an armadillo with a boat oar and then fed it to guests, the meat is light in color, dense and relatively tasteless.Â Every particle of fat needs to be removed before cooking, however, as it has a rancid quality much like that of possum it is said. The invaders continue their Northward trek and there have been some sightings on the other side of the Missouri River.Â Unfortunately they have left settlers all along the way.Â Â No plans are known to be in the works for profiteering off the remains of the good armadillos.Â That they are Good ones is enough at this time.